More popular than it has ever been in its 42-year history, the Metro Youth Football Association program is looking to expand its operation by putting at least three fields in the proposed greenway area on the west side of the Cedar River.

"We absolutely need more fields,” said Roger Gruwell, a member of the MYFA executive board. “We can’t put any more where we’re at, and we think it would be a good thing to have a facility on the west side of town.”

The proposal is in the very early stages, but Cedar Rapids city officials have so far been receptive to the idea.

“Metro Youth Football has been a tremendous organization in our community for a long time,” said Director of Parks and Recreation Julie Sina, who has had two sons and now a grandson in the program. “We’ll try to do everything we can to make it happen. We think it would be very good for the community.”

MYFA board members are scheduled to make a proposal to the parks commission Tuesday morning. They’ve already met with City Manger Jeff Pomeranz and Community Development Director Christine Butterfield.

As currently planned, Butterfield said there will be about 230 acres of open space in the flood plain along the west side of the river.

“There will be a number of groups vying to make use of the land,” she said. “But we’re certainly open to public/private partnerships like the football fields.”

Gruwell said his organization would like to utilize approximately 20 acres of land. The preferred site is in the area of I Avenue NW, about a block from the recently recommended new Time Check Recreation Center.

The plan has the full support of the Northwest Neighborhood Association. “We think it would help revitalization of the area,” said association president Linda Seger.

As envisioned, MYFA would construct the fields and maintain them. Details have yet to be worked out, but it is likely some sort of long-term lease of the land would be formalized.

“We have other arrangements like that in other parks,” said Sina, pointing to a softball complex used by a Jefferson youth team and a runway maintained by a model airplane group near the Tuma soccer fields.

Gruwell said the football league is fully utilizing its three lighted fields near Council Street NE. Both the spring flag football program and the fall tackle program currently attract almost 1,300 elementary and middle school youth.

The fall Corrdor Classic tournament last year included 54 teams from several midwestern states. “If we want to grow, we have to have more fields,” Gruwell said.

There is no timetable yet, since the process is just beginning and will eventually need approval from the City Council. But Parks Director Sina, for one, is excited about the  prospects.

“It seems like a win-win for everyone,” she said.